Rideau Lakes will take a closer look at extending Stevens Street in Newboro, but councillors are not yet ready to decide who should pick up the tab.
Stevens Street was originally laid out to extend about 123 metres northeast from Bay Street, but only the first 52 metres was developed as a municipal road. Four properties front on the unopened portion, and for two of them, it is their only public access.
Staff are recommending the township explore extending the road about 70 metres and creating a proper turnaround for municipal vehicles. At present, township snowplows turn around on private property, something CAO Shellee Fournier said is far from ideal.
But the original recommendation also proposed asking benefiting property owners about sharing the cost, and that is where the discussion became lively.
“Why would private property owners be asked to financially contribute to municipally owned property improvements?” asked Coun. Sue Dunfield.
Township planner Foster Elliott explained that because the project was resident-initiated and could benefit neighbouring properties, the township would normally explore whether those owners would contribute.
Fournier added that opening the road could make properties developable, raising the question of whether all taxpayers should pay for improvements that may increase the value or development potential of a handful of lots.
Dunfield wasn’t persuaded.
“I don’t believe that we should be asking private homeowners to open up a road allowance that’s owned by the municipality,” she said.
Councillors Linda Carr, Deborah Hutchings and Marcia Maxwell also questioned putting the cost on property owners, while Coun. Paula Banks cautioned that council also has to consider whether individual landowners could benefit financially.
The history is anything but tidy. In 2009, property owners initially raised $5,400 toward opening the road, but costs climbed when a higher construction standard was required. The project was abandoned and the money returned.
More recently, another resident, believing township discussions amounted to approval, cleared trees, installed drainage and placed about 50 metres of granular material along the unopened allowance. Staff said the work was done without the required council approval.
Fournier described previous licence-agreement solutions as “messy,” saying opening the road and constructing a proper hammerhead turnaround could resolve several issues at once.
The proposed direction was ultimately pared back. Rather than immediately asking property owners to share costs, staff were asked to investigate land needed for the turnaround, calculate the cost of the road and stormwater work and return to committee with that information.
Committee members also questioned whether opening the road allowance would require a municipal environmental assessment.
Elliott explained that environmental rules are changing Jan. 1, 2027. Under the new provincial framework, the approximately 70-metre extension is not expected on its own to trigger a municipal environmental assessment, although other components, such as water crossings, may still require review.
“This report is just step one of a very long process,” Fournier said, adding that work is not expected to begin before January 2027.
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